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Tomorrow is my last day in Makassar. I had foolishly thought I might be able to take in a few leisure activities before leaving South

Twice now I’ve hired someone in Indonesia and had them show up with a friend in tow. “Two for the price of one,” I call

Judging from these photos my assistant Dimas took, you’d think that I only have two expressions when I’m shooting: mad and madder. Sometimes I’m struck

Today over lunch, my new production assistant exclaimed with great surprise and a genuine sense of discovery, “Kathy, you have white hair!” Tiara was sitting

For all three of you that read this blog (hi, mom, Marisa, and Irfan!), I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you on

After 2 days in Bali filming Suharni living among orang bule (Westerners), it was time to fly out to Makassar. Stepping out of the Hasanuddin

I’m back in Indonesia for my third and final round of shooting. I have to admit, it was harder to get myself back this time.

Weddings. What can I say? I’ve attended about 10 of them since coming to Indonesia. That’s more weddings than I’ve ever attended back in the

I have to say for the record that I am very impressed with the burgeoning documentary film scene in Indonesia. Yes, cinetrons (Indonesian soap operas)

Big election day in Indonesia. Today the streets are empty and the shops are closed as people vote for the next president. It’s assumed that

Today I filmed interviews with my crew. I wanted them to have a chance to talk about the filmmaking process and about one another. Tiara

Our crew has been joined by two new members: Irfan, a young photographer from Makassar, and Pak Handi Ilfat, a professional sound man from Jakarta.

Had a bit of a scare a few days ago. While filming Mami Ria in Toko Harapan, a clothing store, I started to experience dizziness

My plans to film Sakati, the waria with the young boyfriend, have been temporarily set aside. Sakati lives on a remote island 6 hours away

I’ve been back in Indonesia for a week now and it feels good. Like putting on a pair of comfortable gloves. Yes, I’m sweaty, grimy,

Things going well as I march into my final weeks in Makassar. If all goes according to plan, this could possibly be the last missive

Life continues on in Makassar as usual– hot, hot, hot. This is no Bali, to be sure. Despite being a port city (the gateway to

I’ve reached Indonesia safely! My stomach is healthy and my spirits are high. I’m safely ensconced in Yogyakarta studying Bahasa Indonesia with 5 excellent tutors.